Suspect in Maryland murder arrested at Oakland airport

OAKLAND -- A man wanted on suspicion of stabbing a woman to death in Maryland more than seven years ago was arrested by federal agents at Oakland International Airport on Thursday as he tried to board a late-night flight to Mexico City.

Pedro Gomez Reyes, 59, a Mexican national with permanent residence in the U.S., passed through security and was steps away from boarding a plane. But Reyes had registered for the flight under his own name and date of birth and a routine check of international passengers showed he was wanted on a murder warrant, said Jamie Ruiz, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Officers intercepted Reyes on a Jetway about 11:45 p.m., Ruiz said. The airline was not identified. Reyes is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin without bail. A court date for an extradition hearing had not been scheduled as of late Friday, according to law enforcement records.

Reyes has been wanted by police in Prince George's County, Maryland, since March 17, 2005, where he is accused of stabbing a woman in the back during a domestic dispute, Ruiz said.

Police in Maryland could not immediately provide any additional details about the allegations on Friday.

It was unclear where Reyes has been hiding since 2005 or if there was an active investigative of the murder for which he was the subject of a warrant.

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Ruiz said that customs agents review all international travel passenger lists for inbound and outbound flights.

"All the info is cross-checked, Ruiz said. "We found an open warrant."

In a written statement issued Friday, the chief of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's San Francisco office praised the arrest.

"This arrest is a perfect example of close communication and cooperation with other law enforcement agencies," Director of Field Operations Brian J. Humphrey said in the statement. "With (the agency's) border authority covering all international inbound and outbound traffic, our officers are at the front line every day working to protect our citizens from harm, and bring fugitives to justice."